West Coast give an update on AFL gun Harley Reid’s contract

Harley Reid has taken the AFL by storm in his rookie season and there is already huge interest in his contract with the Eagles.

West Coast teenager Harley Reid has stunned AFL observers in his rookie season and demonstrated through 10 games he’s even better than advertised.

The No. 1 draft pick has also lifted the Eagles out of the doldrums.

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Following three heavy defeats to start the season, West Coast was competitive against the Swans in Gather Round before consecutive wins over Richmond and Fremantle.

Add that to a 35-point win over Melbourne in round 10 and the Eagles have surpassed their 2022 win total and equalled their effort from last season with 10 games remaining.

Attention has quickly shifted to Reid’s contract and whether the Victorian could be tempted away from Perth in the future.

Reid (centre) has been better than advertised in his rookie year. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The West Coast rookie, seen with Elliot Yeo, has improved the feeling around the Eagles. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Reid is in the first year of a three-year rookie deal and could have that extended by another season, with the rest of the competition closely watching the situation.

Some massive offers are sure to come the 19-year-old’s way.

West Coast chief executive Don Pyke had a surprise take on Reid’s contract on 7NEWS, after it was put to him there is an “outside urgency for him to sign something” from Eagles fans.

“Those conversations are happening,” Pyke said.

“But we’re also dealing with a 19-year-old young man who is in his first year of footy, there’s not a massive rush to tie him down and get him to sign.

“It’s more like ‘what do we want to do, what looks right for you and how does it look right for you and your family and everything else?’

“There’s a human involved here and there’s a family as well and we’re sort of talking to him.

“But he’s really comfortable, he’s enjoying it. He’s frustrated he’s not playing at the moment, but he’ll be back in a couple of weeks.”

See Pyke’s comments on Reid in the video player above

Don Pyke discussing Harley Reid's contract situation. Photo: 7NEWS

Reid is halfway through a two-match ban for his dangerous tackle on Saint Darcy Wilson, a costly absentee for the nine-point loss to North Melbourne in round eight, and will miss this weekend’s clash against Essendon.

It’s been a frustrating pause for Reid, who was rested from the round seven trip to face the Gold Coast so he could “manage his body” and return home to Tongala and spend time with his family.

With no update seemingly imminent on an extension for the powerful midfielder, Pyke was asked if fans should have any concerns.

“The reality is he’s got three years (on his deal),” he said.

“We could possibly extend him for a fourth and we’ll have a conversation about what that looks like beyond that as well.”

While West Coast has improved in 2024, the club still has a long way to go to recapture the sort of standing that led to four flags over its 38-year history.

Could emerging Swans star Chad Warner be tempted back to WA? (Photo: by Phil Hillyard)

Pyke said the Eagles will be “pretty aggressive” when it comes to AFL trades and the free agency period.

It emerged this week the cross-town Dockers are planning a raid on emerging Swans superstar Chad Warner, a West Australian who is off contract after next season and recently put talks on an extension in Sydney on hold.

Pyke knows Warner from his time as an assistant coach at the Swans and was asked about the 23-year-old, who is having an outstanding fifth season in the Harbour City.

“I’m not going to negotiate through (the media) but look, clearly he’s a Western Australian boy, he’s currently in Sydney,” Pyke said.

“Obviously I’ve been involved with Chad and coached around Chad and his development.

“He’d be a player we’d be interested in, of course.”

The Eagles are long odds to snap a three-game losing skid when they face fourth-placed Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

Originally published as West Coast give an update on AFL gun Harley Reid’s contract